The opportunity was found very quickly!
But then Steward Fan happened to see Zhao Daya sitting there wiping away tears, so she went up to her and asked, "You little rascal, what's wrong?"
Zhao Daya was serving in the courtyard when the head maid said a few words to her, making her feel wronged. That's why she hid here to wipe away her tears, only to be seen by Steward Fan, who helped her wipe away her tears.
Because he had taken Zhao Daya's monthly allowance last time, Manager Fan felt he had become somewhat familiar with her, so he asked, "Why are you hiding here alone?"
Zhao Daya blushed and lowered her head, unable to speak. Actually, it was because she was easily swayed; the leftover snacks from the main courtyard, which Old Madam Liu had said were being served to the servants, had led her to happily grab two and stuff them into her mouth, then take two more in her hand.
These pastries were made delicately and in small quantities. The head maid originally thought that everyone should share them, half a piece each, which would be just enough.
As a result, Zhao Daya ate enough for four people by herself, which naturally angered the head maid, who then said a few words to her.
Zhao Daya felt wronged; she had never eaten this before in her life.
Just because she was young, she was ridiculed in front of everyone? Does she even care about her reputation?
Seeing that the young maid remained silent, Steward Fan knew that the fault lay not with anyone else. He understood that this maid was short-sighted and lacked discipline.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he wondered why he could take advantage of her. So he sighed and said, "We are kindred spirits. I was thinking of helping you out by letting you work in our kitchen. Although it's not as respectable as serving in the main courtyard, I thought you were still young. Learning a skill is worse than waiting in the main courtyard until you get too old and are married off to someone else."
It's a pity, my hospital stay was also full of troubles. That person somehow got through to Butler Liu and got in. She's lazy, good-for-nothing, and even talked back to me. But none of that matters. The important thing is that she took the place I originally wanted to give you!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Daya harbored resentment and quickly asked, "Who is that odd-job worker? If there's a chance, I might be able to help Manager Fan out of his predicament."
Manager Fan was delighted that the young girl was so perceptive, and quickly said, "I heard she came from the south and now lives in Zhao Family Village. Her name is Li Rou Niang. Oh, by the way, you also came from the south, right? Do you know her?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Daya's heart skipped a beat. It was truly a case of "enemies meeting again."
She clenched her fists, her eyes filled with hatred, and said through gritted teeth, "Of course I know her. This woman may seem amiable on the surface, but she's the most vicious person in the world. She once refused to help me when I was in danger. I truly hate her to the bone. Manager Fan, you tell me what to do, and I'll do whatever you say!"
Manager Fan inwardly cursed Zhao Daya as a fool, but he didn't show it on his face. He praised her a couple more times before revealing his plan.
It wasn't really a big plan. After all, Steward Fan, being a minor steward, didn't want to escalate things. For the masters of the Liu family, what they wanted was order and discipline. If chaos broke out, everything would be sold off.
Manager Fan was under a contract of servitude, so she naturally didn't want to make a big fuss, as it wouldn't do her any good.
She just wanted to get rid of Li Rongrou, so she said, "These days, Li Rongrou has been getting very close to Liu Niangzi, who makes pastries, and is learning to make pastries. I'll find an opportunity to have Liu Niangzi take a day or two off, and then have her make pastries. In this way, she will take Liu Niangzi's place, and when Liu Niangzi comes back, she will naturally be dissatisfied with her."
"When they start fighting amongst themselves, and the snacks they make, you'll have to take them to the main courtyard. So, take this packet of powder and put it in the snacks."
Zhao Daya asked nervously, "This isn't some kind of poison, is it? I've made it clear, I won't do anything like murder."
Manager Fan laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's just a packet of salt. You can try it if you don't believe me. It just changes the taste of the pastries, so that Madam Liu will come to the main courtyard to punish them. In this way, the two of them will become estranged, and then I will say that they are both restless and send them away."
Manager Fan was also dissatisfied with Lady Liu.
Lady Liu was allowed to work as a cook in the kitchen because her son was pitiful and Old Madam Liu took pity on her. She was not selling herself.
I've heard that Madam Liu's son is a scholar and will have a bright future, which makes Steward Fan resentful.
Why is it that other people's sons are both filial and talented, while my own son is... well, never mind, I don't want to think about that awful thing anymore.
Making others unhappy makes her happy.
Liu Niangzi felt a stomachache while working in the afternoon and kept going to the toilet.
Li Rouniang stepped forward with concern and asked, "Sister Liu, what's wrong?"
"I think I ate something bad today, my stomach hurts terribly!"
After saying that, Madam Liu ran to the outhouse again.
After going back and forth like this, she ended up pale and sweating profusely. Seeing her like this, everyone feared something serious was wrong and urged her to see a doctor. Liu Niangzi had no choice; she truly had no strength left. She had to ask Steward Fan for leave. Everyone expected Steward Fan to be difficult or sarcastic, but to their surprise, he readily granted her leave, contrary to his usual behavior.
How could she not feel good? She had personally put that laxative into Liu Niangzi's rice bowl!
In the afternoon, they said that the old lady wanted to eat some snacks, so they asked us to prepare them and bring them over later.
"Since Madam Liu isn't here, you'll have to prepare for her today. You'll have to put some thought into it." Li Rou Niang was taken aback, not expecting Steward Fan to ask her to do it. After all, there were so many cooks, and although they weren't specialists in making pastries, they weren't completely clueless about it either.
Liu Lirou quickly said, "I'm afraid that won't work!"
Before she could refuse, Manager Fan said, "What do you mean by 'can't'? Just go when I tell you to."
Li Rouniang had no choice but to accept the task and diligently began to work on it.
Fortunately, she had diligently learned from Madam Liu. She thought about it and realized that her specialty was the simplest style. Remembering that Madam Liu had said that Old Madam Liu was too old to eat anything too sweet, she modified the recipe according to Madam Liu's original design, making it softer, sweeter, and not too cloying.
Although it didn't look as exquisite as what Liu Niangzi usually made, it actually tasted pretty good.
Li Rouniang made some snacks and hurriedly packed them into food boxes.
Manager Fan walked towards the main courtyard, thinking that as long as she got this plate of pastries into the hands of that brat Zhao Daya and had her sprinkle some salt on them, the matter would probably be settled.
However, she hadn't anticipated that she would run into Steward Liu on the way. Coincidentally, Steward Liu, having heard about Steward Fan from his wife, was even more displeased and, upon seeing her on the road, insisted on asking her more questions about Xiu'er.
This back-and-forth trip took up time. By the time she rushed to the main courtyard, she had missed her appointment with Zhao Daya.
The food box was taken by another maid in the main courtyard. Manager Fan couldn't refuse directly, so he had no choice but to give it to the maid.
When Old Madam Liu picked up a pastry and put it in her mouth, she was immediately stunned.
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